Black Widow
by Sango-sama
Summary: A spider's bite leaves one of the group fighting for her life, her mind, and her friends, while the other rush to save her without getting hurt themselves. Story complete....with epilogueside story in the works. SangoMiroku.
1. Words Cannot Express

Black Widow   
Prologue: Words Cannot Express   
by Sango-sama 

Disclaimer: I don't own I Inu-chan-tachi. I really have no money. I use it all to pay Viz for their overpriced Graphic Novels. 

Authors pre-notes: This could _potentially_ be another long one. I just need recuperation time to regain my footing on Dark Night Saga based upon the recent chapter released in Japan. This is a teaser. Tea-ser. As in more, if the idea passes your genuine inspection, number 32. 

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_What Words Cannot Express_   
_by Aaron Olguin_

_What I know to be true in my heart,_   
_Words cannot express._   
_What I feel for you ,_   
_Words cannot express._   
_The way you make me feel inside,_   
_What goes through my mind,_   
_How I know that what I feel wont go away_   
_Words cannot express._   
_The way you drive me crazy,_   
_The way I feel around you,_   
_Is what words cannot express,_   
_If words could express all this,_   
_Then why live?_   
_But instead live_   
_To show those you love_   
_What words cannot express._   


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Steam rises gently from the hot spring in spurts, tiny tufts of cloud offering a bit of protection from wandering eyes. Hands are, of course, another matter. But thankfully, the most vile offender of such roving hands is with a kitsune and a hanyou a five minute walk away, protecting the two females as they bathe. 

"Ahhh. This feels nice." 

"Mmmmhmmm." Reaching up and loosening her ribbon, Sango's hair falls back like silk, fanning out where the ends reached the water. Laying back upon the flat stone wall, she sighs with cat-like contentment. 

Stretching out her arms above her head, Kagome situates herself near Sango, pillowing her head on her crossed arms atop a smooth boulder. "I offered Shippou a good deal of sweets for him to help Inu-Yasha keep Miroku-sama away." 

Eyebrows rise suspiciously. "Any particular reason beside the obvious?" 

"Well...there was something I've been wondering about. And it's much better to talk about without the guys, considering their obvious lack of tact." 

"And?" 

"Well, I suppose there's no real need to beat about the bush here." Uncertainty on Kagome's face melts into resolve. "Sango-chan, how do you feel about Miroku?" 

Twitch. 

"Well...I--" Fumbling across the words, a light blush spread across her cheeks. "I've never really been good with words and emotions. I mean I've always been able to tease and play around with Kohaku." A pregnant pause hung dead in the air with the mention of her brother. "And my father was always busy keeping everyone in the village busy with their jobs. Mom died when I was very young." 

A twinge of sadness apparent on Kagome's face. "Sango, I'm sorry." 

A light smile perks her lips. "It's alright. I'm used to it now. When I lived in the village, I was used to guys treating me like I'm a sister or a warrior. With Houshi-sama, it's...well... it's different." 

A secret smile briefly played on Kagome's lips. "How so?" 

"I do care about him. I don't want to see him hurt. Especially not at my expense. It happens to me far too often. The same would go for everyone else. But with him--." 

"Ow!" In a flash, Sango's hand reaches up and smacks the back of her neck. 

With a splash, Kagome moves to Sango's side. "What's wrong?" 

Eyes carefully study Sango's hand and the crushed remains of a fairly good sized spider. 

"Did it bite you?" 

Glassy eyes stared back into Kagome's. "Let me see." 

Sango leans forward limply, pulling her hair up off her shoulders. Leaning down, Kagome traces a finger over her back to see a small lump about the size of a large mosquito bite with a trickle of blood tracing a trail down Sango's spine. 

"It looks like it did," Kagome murmurs softly. Her eyes widen as Sango's form slumps down into her arms. Shaking her lightly, she shouts, "Sango? Sango!" 

What in the world? 

"Inu-Yasha. I need help! INU-YASHA!" 

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Feedback is much appreciated. I'm trying to get into the groove of selective writing styles. It should be said that I am not an English major. This is purely for fun. Please give me feedback on this one. Should I continue? Re-write? Think someone is too OOC? Let me know. ^_^ 


	2. Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Words Alone Cannot Express Black Widow   
Chapter 1   
by Sango-sama 

Disclaimer: Nope. I still don't Inu-Yasha-tachi. Wah! 

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In the corner of Kaede's house, Kaede sits cross-legged grinding up her take of herbs and berries into powder and fine liquid for healing poultices, avidly ignoring the other occupants. 

Miroku looks up at Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha stares him back down from where he stands, arms akimbo. Miroku turns to look at Shippou. Shippou looks back innocently. He turns back to Inu-Yasha, eyes pleading. 

"C'mon, guys. I have to go." 

The ping-pong staring match continues. 

"Please." 

"No." 

"I really have to go, guys." 

From the corner of the small room, Kaede rolls her eyes. "Why don't you two just go with Houshi-dono?" 

"Because he'd just try to sneak off like he did last time the girls were bathing." Shippou states matter-of-factly. 

A gleam lights up the Houshi's eyes and a playful smile perks his lips. "So, they are bathing." 

Bap! "Shut up, Shippou! That'll just make him try harder." 

"You didn't have to hit me! I just want my candy!" 

The distraction was all that Miroku needed to sneak over to the door. Unfortunately, his two demonic guards and their heightened senses catch him before he slips out the door. 

Inu-Yasha pins Miroku to the wall. "Miroku, stay put!" 

*Inu-Yasha!* 

Shippou looks to Inu-Yasha. "Was that--?" 

Inu-Yasha nods his head. "Kagome." 

"What's wrong?" 

Inu-Yasha turns towards the spring, "Let's go." 

All three begin to run towards the spring. "I'm coming with you." 

"Me too." 

Shippou pops up an eyebrow. "I thought you had to go." 

"You believed that?" 

Back in the corner, Kaede shakes her head. "So much for those girls' privacy." 

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Back at the spring, Kagome is trying rather unsuccessfully to drag Sango's limp form to the shore. "Inu-Yasha! Please Hurry!" 

Within a matter of seconds, Inu-Yasha pops out of the darkened woods. "Kagome, what's wrong!" 

Wide eyed, Kagome squeaks and draws herself and Sango beneath the waters' surface for cover. 

A bright blush settles over both of their cheeks as Miroku and Shippou emerge from the woods. 

"Sango's hurt. She was bitten and now she's fainted." 

With eyes wide in shock, Miroku strips off his outer robe and runs out into the water, Inu-Yasha on his heels and following suit, removing his outer coat to drape around Kagome's shoulders, protecting her from Miroku's eyes. 

"Kagome-sama, please wrap this around Sango," the Houshi says, handing his outer robe to her and then turning away. 

A bit surprised by Miroku's show of respect, Kagome takes the robe and does as she was asked, winding the purple cloth around Sango's prone form beneath her arms, as Inu-Yasha held Sango steady, cautiously diverting his eyes. 

"There. All finished." 

With that, Miroku stoops down to gently lift her up into his arms, a dismayed look in his eyes as he gazes down at her. Slowly, he wades to the shore, while Kagome and Inu-Yasha walk, slightly dumbfounded, behind him. 

"Shippou, please go and get Kirara and Kaede." 

"Okay!" calls the Kitsune, as he bounds back to the village. 

Water drips down off his inner robe, as he stands upon the shore and sets her down as gently possible. 

Lightly moaning, Sango manages to open her eyes half way and tries to push herself up. "Wha-?" 

A beaded hand gently pushes her back onto the ground. "Lie still, Sango. Kaede is on her way." 

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Okay. I don't know about this part. I have a short attention span and can only write so much at one setting. This is still a draft version. And I hope to rewrite it soon. Feedback is still appreciated. 

And Miraeko, I got to bap the kitsune! 

^_^ 


	3. Venom

words2 Against a slowly setting sun, Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Shippou stand back, watching the scene in earnest. 

Kneeling down, Miroku holds Sango's back upright, her forehead leaning into his shoulder as to steady her, as Kaede's good eye surveys over the bite mark, tapping along the edges. 

Sango shutters in pain as Kaede's finger comes across an aching nerve. 

Kirara, nuzzles one of Sango's legs, concern shining through her crimson eyes and in her somber mews. 

Pressed against the Houshi's chest, a faint blush darkens ashen white cheeks. Her arms hang limply at her sides. Heavy lidded eyes struggle to remain open, fighting off the near desperate need to sleep off the pain. 

Kagome twiddles her fingers nervously. "Will she be alright?" 

"It may have been a poisonous spider." Kaede's eyes meet Miroku's. "We need to bring her back to the village. I have just the thing to draw out the venom."   


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Black Widow   
Chapter 2: Venom   
by Sango-sama 

Author Type Notes: Alright. Being a Biology/Anthropology major, I'm fully aware that Black Widows are an American arachnid species. Not Japanese. However, I went through the listing of common Japanese spiders and come up with nothing on actual poison content in their venom. Besides, Black Widows have some rather interesting characteristics that help push my ideas here. So let's just pretend that Black Widows were somehow introduced onto the Japanese mainland by foreigners during the Sengoku Jidai. Okay? ^_^   


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The morning sun creeps across the wooden panel floor, clambering over the two priestesses and settling on the eyes of the taiji-ya. 

Bringing an arm up over her eyes, Sango timidly opens her eyes and looks around. She has been dressed in a modest robe and her hair is fanned out across a pillow, one of the few niceties brought from Kagome's time. 

"Sango!" Kagome smiles widely and turns around. "Kaede-baasan, she's awake." 

"So she is." The old priestess slowly lowers herself to the ground with Kagome's help and checks Sango's eyes and pulse. "She's still fairly weak, but she seems to be doing much better." 

"Do we need to reapply the poultice?" 

"I can do that. You go check on the others." Smiling conspiratorially, she adds, "Some of them did not rest too well, I think." 

Sango looks between the two suspiciously, meeting only two knowing smiles. 

"Rest, Sango. I'll tell you all about it later." And with that, Kagome slips out the front door. 

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Shippou sleeps soundly on Miroku's lap, as the Houshi's darkening eyes look expectantly to the door of Kaede's cabin, as Inu-Yasha watches, seemingly nonchalantly, from a tree overhead. 

Slowly, Kagome emerges, stretching her arms above her head to pull the cricks out of her neck. 

Looking at Miroku and then to Inu-Yasha overhead, she smiles. "She's awake. Still a bit tired, but she'll be okay. She's resting for now." 

Even Inu-Yasha let out a brief sigh of relief. 

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The Houshi sat against the wall of Kaede's house in his usual sleeping position, legs indian-style and head tilted against the shajaku clenched in his fist. 

Sango, having just awoken, was sitting up. Her strength was, little by little, coming back to her, so she climbs out from her pallet and crawls over to the sleeping monk. 

Curiously, she observes his sleeping face. Almost childlike in its innocence, but definitively adult in its jutting angle of his cheekbones and his chin and the small patch of shady stubble that shadowed it all. 

'Kagome said he waited up all last night. And that he even turned around when I was naked.' Smiling, she shakes her head. 'You know, I just can't figure you out, Houshi-sama. How you can be so lecherous one moment...and in the next...sweet and unassuming. Are you trying to confuse me?' 

Sitting on her feet, she reaches over to brush a loose piece of hair out of his face, placing it soundly behind his ear. Two tiny golden earrings clink at the tiny movement, rapidly awaking the sleeping priest. 

"Sango?" he asks sleepily, eyes still drooping heavily. "Why are you out of bed?" 

Blushing slightly, she stutters, "I..I, um...well...thank you." 

"Eh?" 

"I wanted to thank you for helping. And for not staring while I was--" 

"Was that all?" 

"Huh?" 

Sighing slightly, he set down his shajaku. "Sango, you're ill. You shouldn't be crawling around here. You need your rest." 

"But--" 

"No buts. If you need something, call for me. That's why I'm in here." 

"I'm not an invalid, you know. I can take care of myself." 

Somberly, his eyes lock onto hers. "You couldn't yesterday, Sango." 

Biting her lip, she knew that couldn't disagree. 

Rising to his feet, he moves to help her back to her sleeping pallet, bringing an arm around her waist to support her in case she were to lose her balance. Helping her sit down gently, he slowly released his hold on her waist. "There you go. And I'll be right over here if you need something." To demonstrate, he walks back to his spot and sits down. Closing his eyes, his head tilts back onto his staff. 

Sango watches him go back to a light sleep. 

Without warning her vision goes hazy and she feels the room spinning, in spite of the fact that she instinctively knows she is lying still. 

If for but a moment, her pupils widen and the color drains from her irises, leaving her eyes a milky white, before their natural color returns. 

Her right arm suddenly rises on its own, and the left follows suit. Blinking, she looks at her arms, mystified. She tries to set them down, beads of sweat popping up on her forehead as a testament to her effort, but it was as if her body was not listening to her mind. All she can do is blink until, minutes later, both arms drop on their own. 

She moves both her arms experimentally and then wiggles her legs and toes just to be sure. Now, it seems, there is no trouble at all. 

'What in the Hell is going on here?' 


	4. Spinning the Web

A light breeze lifts wisps of ebony hair away from it's frame around Sango's face, tossing it back into her eyes. 

Pensively, she stares back at her own reflection in the still pond, running an cautious finger over the raised lump on her back. A sharp pain stabs down her back, and she doubles over, kneeling down upon the flattened grasses of the bank. The pain shoots to her arms and legs, all the way out to the tips of her fingers and toes. 

As she sets on the soft grasses, tiny beads of sweat spring upon her forehead, as proof of her pain, growing as she concentrates her efforts to lessen the pain. 

Gradually, the pain subsides, leaving a dull, but tolerable ache in the pit of her stomach. Satisfied that she could handle the pain, she crawls back to the waters edge. Reaching down to wash her face, her hands stop abruptly. 

Eyes widening in a mix of shock and fear, she watches as her eyes turn a ghastly white and a cruel smile plays across her reddening lips. 

'My body keeps becoming more and more difficult to control. What is wrong with me?' 

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Black Widow   
Spinning the Web   
Sango-sama 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha   
I can only borrow Miroku.   
I have to write this stupid thing.   
So people won't sue. 

I wrote this while listening to the new Ending Song "Dearest" by Ayumi Hamasaki. It's pretty, but a little slow. 

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The demon huntress walks quietly back to the village. 

"Sango-chan, how are you feeling?" 

"Eh? Oh, much better, Kagome. It's doing me good to be out walking around again. But..." 

Kagome tilts her head inquisitively. "What is it?" 

"It's probably nothing...but I just keep sensing a presence." 

"A youkai?" 

"I'm not sure. 

Knitting her eyebrows in thought, Kagome sets "Hmmm. I haven't been able to detect anything. But we can ask the others."   


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Yellow, slitted eyes fix on Sango with tepidity. "A presence?" 

"I really can't describe it. Not a quite youkai, but not human either. And definitely not hanyou." 

"Aside from the usual stench at the cave that Onigumo was cared for in, I haven't picked up anything. Except of course the brat." 

"Hey!" Shippou whines. 

"It's true. When was the last time you bathed?" 

Defiantly, Shippou's lip pops out in a cute pout. "More recently than you, dog breath!" 

Large sweatdrops appear on both Sango's and Kagome's faces, as they take a giant step away from both youkai with fingers pinching their noses. 

"Oi." Inu-Yasha turns to them with one eyebrow raised. "What's with you two?" 

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"I'm sorry, Sango." 

Shaking her head sadly, she mutters, "this must be all in my head." 

Cocking his head slightly, he tries to look into her eyes. "If it would make you feel a bit better, we can look around for signs of another youkai in the area." 

Blushing faintly, she smiles and nods. "That would be good." 

Smiling back, he grabs her hand and pulls her off into the forest. In a mixture of embarrassment and confusion, apparent by the heightening blush on her cheeks, Sango runs slightly behind him. 

Kagome shouts, "I'll go back to the village and search with Inu-Yasha and Shippou," before running off in the other direction, grinning all the way. 

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Trees blur together, shading the forest an indistinguishable mass of greens and browns. Light peeks through the forest's upper canopy gleaming across the forest floor like an abstract chess board. 

Slowly, Sango and Miroku come to halt one after the other, eyes surveying the landscape for the slightest indication of a misplaced aura. 

"We've been all over this part of the forest." Wiping away tiny beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he thumps down on an overturned log. "I haven't felt anything, Sango. Have you felt anything yet?" 

A frown purses her lips as she sits down on the log near him. "No. I haven't been able to sense it since earlier on this morning." 

Turning to face her, he asks, "was anyone else there with you?" 

Tilting her head to the side slightly, she brought a finger over her lips in consideration. "Well, I think I was the only one awake. Except for maybe Inu-Yasha. but everyone else was there, sleeping." 

He looks at her, a considering gaze searching her eyes, before placing his larger hand over her own. 

"If it happens again, I want to you wake me up immediately." 

"Do you have any idea what it is?" 

"Perhaps." His eyes narrow as he gazes off in the distance, absently running his uncursed hand over his prayer beads. 

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Well, I've gone back through and done a bit of spring cleaning on this story so far. This chapter has been lengthened. I'm pretty pleased with it. I'd like to know if people want more detail descriptions, character development, etc. I'd do more with Inu-Yasha and Kagome, but I really don't find myself relating them to common experience, so I usually feel what I write for them is terribly contrived. Once again, feedback is yummy and suggestions will be read and considered carefully. 

Sango-sama 

^_^ 


	5. Barrier

A light breeze gently lifts the thin papery panels of the screens, breathing life into the pale golden screen. 

Two pale, slender arms slither out of the shadows of the room, snaking their way around a slim but broadening chest, one arm winding up around a decidedly masculine shoulder. 

The owner of the chest does not bat an eye, much less express any emotion. "Okanka. Did you perform your task?" 

A cheek rests upon his back, and the rest of her body follows suit. "Hai. By now, the control serum has mingled with her blood." 

"Can you control her?" 

"Easily," the voice replies, nuzzling his back. "Your orders?" 

The slightest hint of a smile turns his lips upward. 

Pressing lips to his back, she smilingly utters, "Hai, Naraku-sama." 

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Black Widow   
Barrier   
Sango-sama 

Disclaimer: I own this pencil and this granola bar. That is all. Even one of them will be gone soon. 

Woo-hoo for evil bish! (Note: if that's a bit unclear, and it probably is, Naraku is speaking telepathically. Also, I'm not completely sure, but I don't plan on Okanka being one of Naraku's offspring.) 

I like feedback. It keeps me writing much faster. Constructive comments are read and considered carefully. 

Enjoy! ^_^ 

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Kagome walks in the door to Kaede's house, a towel wrapped around her shoulders and tiny drips of water. Huffing, she plops herself down onto the wooden floor and glares at Inu-Yasha, who just walks in, Shippou on his heels. 

Kaede, being ever astute in her greater number of years, turns to Inu-Yasha. "What did you do this time?" 

"Why does it have to always be my fault?" 

"Because it always is, dog breath," Shippou explains. "Geez, even I know that!" 

"Come back here you little runt!" 

"Wah!" 

Kagome shakes her head at them, as the start rolling and dodging outside. "Near the river, he started beating up Shippou for making fun of him. Of course, it was because he said something incredibly dense. I told him to knock it off, which of course, he didn't. So I sat him--right into the water." Her lips start twitching. "And then, he rampages out of the water, gets about 3 feet away from me, and shakes." 

Kaede futilely tries to suppress a smirk, eyes tearing up slightly. "He shakes?" 

"It's not funny. This is the only clean outfit I have left. And now it's drenched." 

Still chuckling a bit, Kaede leans out the door and calls to one of the village girls. "Kimiko, may we borrow one of your spare yukata? Kagome-sama needs it." 

"Hai, Kaede-sama. It will be just a bit." Carefully, she avoids the pile of youkai, one of whom is currently bapping the other on the head. 

Kagome peeks her head out the door beside Kaede. "Arrigato, Kimiko-san." Turning to Kaede, she inquires, "have Sango and Miroku-sama returned yet?" 

The old miko's eyebrows raise. "I have not seen them since this morning." 

"Hmmm. I wonder what could be keeping them." 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

A flash of color sparks out from the top of the shajuku, throwing back both the staff and Miroku forcefully. 

Brushing himself off, he accepts the hand Sango has extended to him and pulls himself up. "Well, there goes that idea. The barrier goes all the way around." 

"You think it's Naraku?" 

"I'd actually hope so. I don't know of anyone else who has enough power to make a barrier this large." His features briefly twist in confusion. "But it is odd. It doesn't feel like any youkai I've encountered before." 

Setting herself down on a decaying log, Sango sighs dejectedly. "Damn. It's getting dark. And we can't even get out of here to warn the others." 

"We've got to somehow get word to Inu-Yasha. He may be able to break the barrier with Tetsusaiga. But unless they're out looking for us, now, I'd say it's a slim chance that we'll get out until tomorrow." Slowly, he faces Sango. "Which means we need to find some sort of hiding place, or we'll wear ourselves out keeping watch." 

"There was a cave about a quarter mile back. The opening wasn't very wide, so we should be shielded from the elements and won't need a fire. That's best if we don't want to draw attention to ourselves." 

"But I can keep you plenty warm, Sango." 

"Great," she mumbles, but not quite able to conceal a light blush. "I'll be protected from the youkai, but not the pervert." Rolling her eyes, she begins walking back towards the cave. "Get moving Houshi. We don't have much daylight left." 

"Hai, hai." 

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preview>> 

In the pale moonlight that filters into the cave's opening, her hair shimmers as her head bows lethargically. 

"Go to him. Now." 

Sango's eyes glow an unnatural white. "Hai." 


	6. Of Peach-scented Memories and Dreams

Shaking his head, Miroku mutters, "I can't believe there isn't so much as one squirrel inside this whole damn barrier." His stomach protests audibly and his eyes cross as proof of his exasperation. 

"I'm hungry too, but I haven't seen anything aside from those berries. And they weren't ripe yet." 

Frowning, he continues walking by her side. "I know. I suppose we should--" 

Suddenly, she interrupts him by placing her hand on his arm. "Houshi-sama, look. Peaches!" 

Smiling, he watches her eyes light up as she runs towards the massive peach tree's trunk before following her. 

Upon reaching the tree's base, she carefully eyes over the peaches, searching one by one for the ripest peach among the peaches within reach. 

Unwrapping her short blue shawl and setting it upon the ground, she reaches up to grab a choice peach, bringing back down to her nose to inhale its fresh, juicy scent. Slowly, she brings it up to her lips, chomping into its sweet flesh and savoring the tangy flavor. Sighing contentedly, she leans against the tree and takes another bite. 

Miroku smirks, before leaning over to wipe a stray trail of peach juice that trails off the side of Sango's lip with the brush of his thumb. "I suppose this means we have found dinner." 

Blushing brightly, Sango stares back at him, the tiniest hint of shock in her eyes; gradually, she manages to murmur, "Mmmm." 

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Black Widow   
Of Peach scented Memories and Dreams   
Sango-sama 

Alright. I'm considering it quite lucky that I even got a chance to write this because I was taking an extended break from studying physics and molecular biology. So, if you want to be updated on when I post new chapters and do not have member services, please post your e-mail address with a review or e-mail me at KSSladen@aol.com, and write something like fanfiction request in the subject heading, or it will be deleted. 

I have, on several occasions, considered having this story become at least lime scented. However, I know the citrus system does offend some people. The next chapter will depend on what kind of responses I get to this chapter. The problem being that there are not too many Sango-Miroku fics out there, so it's hard to get a good survey of you readers and your sensibilities. Honestly, I don't write completely for myself, so I like it if others are happy with the outcome. If there is one way or the other that you'd rather see, please let me know. I **will** listen! ^_^ 

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The cave is almost literally a simple little a hole in the wall of rock. The entrance is barely large enough to crawl through, but the inside quickly opens into a room large enough to stand and just barely wide enough to accommodate two people comfortably. The Houshi and the Taiji-ya recline against the walls, facing each other. 

"I'm glad we saw these peaches. I haven't had one in a few years." 

The crooked grin returns to the Houshi's face. "And why is that? You certainly seemed to enjoy them." 

Sango finds the blush returning to her face with a vengeance, before she gathers her bearings and raises an eyebrow at him, with and almost certainly feigned irritation. "I used to have them all the time when I was little. My mother would take Kohaku and I out to the trees at the base of the mountain, and we would gather lots of them for the whole village. When we were done, she would pick a bunch of the peach blossoms and stick them into my hair and hers." Smiling in remembrance, she continues. "No matter what, her hair would smell of the peach blossoms for weeks and weeks after. She would always give me a hug when she tucked me in at night and I could smell them." 

Cautiously, Miroku asks, "What happened to her? I know about the rest of your family." 

Sango quickly grows silent and draws her knees up to her chin. Large tears form up in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall. 

Miroku's eyes grow wide. A belated act of comfort, he seats himself beside her and sets his hand lightly upon her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't..." 

"It's alright," Sango sniffs audibly, brushing the hand away. "About five years ago, she was killed saving a new warrior when the village warriors went out to fight a giant centipede youkai. The group had killed a large youkai, but apparently it had a child. It rushed towards the group. The new warrior didn't move; he must have been very afraid. My mother pushed him out of the way, putting herself right in the centipede's path...and...she--" 

The hand reappears on her shoulder. Sango's tear-filled eyes look up to match his. 

"It's alright. I understand." His voice soothing and low, just as calming as the arms that envelope her, gently rubbing across her upper back to quiet the tears. "At least you have some happy memories of her." His voice cracks slightly, its tone belying an underlying sadness. 

Miroku's eyes grew serious and dark, as they focus off into the darkened corner of the cave. "My mother died in giving me life...it was too hard for her because of the curse. She couldn't bear the force of the Kaze-ana." 

Cautiously, and with ever growing hesitation, Sango moves her hand onto his onto his. Looking down at their joined hands, and then at Sango, he continues. "Before he died, he would tell me how beautiful she was. I knew he had loved her dearly. But I also know that I don't have that luxury...at least not until the curse is removed." 

"Eh?" 

"I couldn't ask any woman I truly care for to harm herself for me. I'd never forgive myself." 

Blushing, Sango moves away from him, wordlessly. An unclear emotion shines in her eyes until she speaks again. "I...I'm going to wash my face. I'll be right back." 

Nodding silently, he watches her walk away. When she is out of earshot he softly murmurs, "That's why I never asked you." Chuckling, he adds, "At least, not seriously." 

He turns his attention morosely to the wrap covering his right hand. "We have to beat Naraku." 

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Light reflects off of the water of the small stream in a faintly ethereal glow. 

Sango reaches her hands down into the water and brings the cold water up to her forehead, letting it spill down the front of her face and neck. 

Bringing her hands down a second time, she watches her eyes slowly become translucent. Her legs seemingly fail her again, and she topples down onto her knees, dark bangs hanging in front of her eyes, her hair shimmering in the pale moonlight. 

A translucent woman dressed in a black yukata appears over the water's surface. "Go to him." she bids. "Now. Do not fail to do as I have asked." 

Lifting her head to her master, Sango's eyes glow an unnatural white. "Hai, Okanka-sama." 

********************************************************************************************************************** 

Silently, Sango re-enters the cave, her eyes back to their natural color. She goes back and sits beside the Houshi. 

"We should probably get some sleep." 

Sango silently nods an affirmative, trying unsuccessfully to make herself comfortable on the solid rock ground. 

"You could rest your head on my shoulder. I promise not to try anything." 

Her eyebrow raises in disbelief, but Sango moves to accept his offer anyway, her head presses against his upper chest. 

An arms snakes across her back, not moving up or down, but merely stabilizing her against his body. His chin rests atop her head. 

A malicious grin spreads over Sango's lips. "Arrigato, Houshi-sama."   



	7. The Enemy Within

Kagome sits against the wall outside Kaede's house, her knees pulled up to her chin, and her head resting on the pillowy fabric of her pajama pants. Drooping eyes survey over the horizon watching, a bit sleepily, for any sign of Sango and Miroku to return.

Inu-Yasha watches her out the corners of his eyes from the tree overhead, a classic look of indifference gracing his features. 

"Oi, Kagome. Go inside." 

Silently, she shakes her head. "No. I'm gonna stay here until they come back." 

In one swift motion, he jumps out of the tree and stands over her. "Just sitting there won't make them come back any faster. Go in. I'll come and wake you up if they come back." 

Pensively, she lethargically tilts her head. "I--I suppose. It's just...something about all of this doesn't feel...right." 

Nodding his head almost imperceptibly, he settles himself to her eye level. "We can head out first thing in the morning. For now, sleep." 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

Black Widow   
The Enemy Within   
Sango-sama 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha;   
I can only borrow Miroku.   
I have to write this stupid thing,   
So nobody can sue. 

Okay. Response to this has mostly been that if this is to turn citrus, it has to be a light "lime". So I'll try to be doing the Diet Coke of lemons: Just one calorie, not hentai enough. ^_^ Though honestly, I keep pushing back the potential lime parts for the sake of plot. Wah...silly plot...you keep getting in the way! ^_^ 

On a happy note, my evil tests are done for about the next four weeks. I hope to have this baby finished by then. 

A few notes: Okanka will be speaking directly into Sango's mind. It will be noted in asterisks (*). 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

The cramped quarters of the cave were a mixed blessing: the walls shielding the inhabitants from possible demon detection but not from the chill of the night air. A frigid breeze howls through the narrow opening of the cave. 

Shivering yet still half asleep, Sango nuzzles her head closer to his, placing her hand lightly upon his other shoulder. A muffled, sleepy murmur of "Houshi-sama" trails off of her lips. 

Said Houshi-sama raises an eyebrow. Always a light sleeper, he has been awake for a good while, the faintest indication of a demon's presence tapping at his spiritual senses. He can't really place it from the inside of the cave and really doesn't feel like moving, since it would probably disturb Sango...and he finds himself growing ever more comfortable in spite of the cold stone ground. 

Twisting his lips into a quirky, crooked grin, he looks down at her slumbering form. 'She really needs this sleep. She's been quite tense lately.' His free hand slowly reaches out and gently smooths down her ebony, sleep mussed hair. 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

A partially awake Sango, slowly becomes aware of exactly how close she was to the Houshi. A blush deepens the color of cheeks as the realization sets in. Groggily, she unhooks his arm and moves away from him, rubbing her eyes. 

"Ah, you're awake, Sango." His eyes grow serious. "I've been sensing a youkai for a while, but it can't quite tell where it's coming from." 

Frowning, she asks, "Why didn't you wake me?" 

"You looked very tired. Besides from what I can tell, it's some distance away and hasn't been moving." 

"Oh." She looks away from his eyes. "I see." 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

"Houshi-sama, do you think I am pretty?" Sango's eyes gleam a bit differently than normal. 

_'What in the Hell am I saying?'_

Miroku, who was sitting against the opposite wall of the cave fiddling with his cover for the Kaze Ana, looks up questioningly. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" 

Slowly, Sango crawls over and sets in front of him. "I asked if you thought I'm pretty." 

_'This isn't funny. Why can't I stop this other voice?' Struggling against invisible inner bindings, Sango squirms in vain. 'I can't even control my own arms.'_

Chuckling slightly, Miroku answers, "Of course you are, Sango. What brings this up?" 

"Is that why you keep groping me?" Her eyes stare him down accusingly. 

_'Eh? ...Actually, I'd like to hear his answer to this.'_

His jaw drops. "What?" 

With hands on her hips, "I've seen you with other girls. Who **_all_** turned out to be part youkai, by the way. You never groped them once." 

_'Excuse me! How is it that she knows what I've seen? She must have been in my head. Seeing my memories.'_

Miroku's mouth moves open and shut, but seemingly, is unable to form words. 

"Not once! And I want to know why. Why am I different?" 

Trapped against the wall by the inquisitive female, he can do little but stare up at her in shock, trying to form a coherent thought. 

_'Oh, that definitely isn't me. Why can't you tell that isn't me?'_

"Well?" 

"Sango, I..." 

_'Why can't you see it?'_

******************************************************************************************************************** 

Shaking her head, she mutters, "Why can't you see it?" 

In the depths of Sango's mind, she is sitting, bound to a chair with rope. Angrily struggling against the bindings, the ropes begin burrowing into her skin, leaving biting red marks. Tears from the pain start well in her eyes and run down her cheeks one by one. 

A deafening cackle *You realize your struggling is useless girl. You can't do anything but watch.* 

Her hand droops forward. 'I can't just sit here. That woman is using my body to get to him. And that idiot doesn't seem to get that it isn't me!' 

Jaw set in defiance, she begins again to free herself from the ropes. 'Houshi-sama, hold on!'


	8. Kugutsu

A fierce wind drains the lingering warmth from the air, leaving instead an empty, heartless chill. A translucent finger appears into the void in front of her, shaking as if to a small child. 

*Ah, ah. Careful now. You'll hurt yourself.* The finger extends into an arm, then a torso, and soon, a full translucent figure of a woman stands before her, her dress long, black and flowing. The wind picks up her hair, making the flowing strands dance behind, emphasizing her pale face and her opaque, white eyes. 

*You only get to watch, dear.* The woman turns her back to Sango, and avidly watches the scene unfolding between her kugutsu and her prey in her looking glass. 

Sango aims an angry glare at her captor while she set her focus to unwinding the ropes that set within inches of her hands, slowly and quietly twisting and pulling at the knots. Her face twinges in pain as the ropes are drawn too tight and break into her skin, leaving a thin trail of blood dripping from her bruised wrists. 

In a mixture of her growing pain and frustration, Sango shouts, "what the Hell do you want with us?" 

A light grins passes over the woman's features. *Haven't you guessed that already? I'm here to see to it that you kill your friend.* 

"But that isn't me!" 

Turning slightly, she waves a hand in dismissal. *No matter. She'll do the job just the same.* A cruel smile twists her lips. *And there isn't anything you can do about it, dear." 

********************************************************************************************************************   
Black Widow   
Kugutsu   
Sango-sama 

Woohoo! It's time for plot. That's why this baby took so long. Anyways, I got good marks on my tests, a 4-hour nap, and a big old bowl of ice cream. All systems are go for plot advancement! 

I would have tried to write Tuesday, but a few people complained about the verb tense, so I went back and fixed up what I could. There are probably still a few errors here and there, but I promise that it is better. I'll have to see if I can get my English Major friend to check that carefully when she decides she has time to read. 

Once again, Constructive criticism and other forms of feedback are welcome. Enjoy! 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

'Sango' taps her foot impatiently. "Well?" 

_'Why can't you figure it out, baka!?!'_

Eyes wide and gazing at the floor beneath him, Miroku finally finds his voice. "Sango, I…I didn't realize it upset you this much." 

_'Eh?'_

"It's just that I've been doing it to protect myself…and my heart. You aren't the only one who's afraid of getting too close. Everyday, I wake up not knowing if I'll survive on until even tomorrow." 

Shaking his head, he glances back up at her, or rather at her back, as she was turned around to avoid his eyes. 

"I know it doesn't make it right, but for a long time, I needed to be sure that someone would survive on to avenge my family. If anyone understands that, it should be you. It's just, now I may not need an heir since between you, the others, and I, we may be able to defeat Naraku. I actually have a chance to break this curse." 

Getting up off the floor, he moves to stand behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"I've only been keeping a distance between us because I don't want you to end up as my mother did--just a vision in my father's mind. I care for you too much to do that." 

_'Hou—Houshi-sama!'_

Hints of shock shine through her features and a light blush begins to highlight her cheeks. Quickly, she turns around. 

"That's all I ever needed to hear, Houshi-sama." Smiling, she shakes her head. "No…Miroku." 

Slowly, her gaze drifts to his lips and back up to his eyes. His eyes do much the same. Slowly, they both pull forwards, both of their arms linking around the other's back and waist, inching closer and closer. 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

'Just a little to the left…and…there.' With a light tug, the rope loosens slack enough for her wrists to come free. Gingerly, she rubs her wrists to momentarily lessen the pain of the rope burns. 

The sound of her captor's cackling makes the surrounding air shudder violently. *Ah, Sango. You'd like this. You're going to--* 

A rope clamps around her neck, strangling her before she can continue her statement. The captor's translucent form grows a pale bluish color and solidifies under the ropes constraint. 

"Give me my body back!" 

Her captor stares on in shock. 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

Sango pushes herself from his arms and unlinks her own from his shoulders. Her breathing is labored and shallow and her face has quickly become quite pale, as if a mask has just been removed from her face. 

A bit weakly, she manages to speak. "O-fuda." 

Looking quite a bit confused, he asks, "what?" 

"Use your O-fuda….hurry." 

"Sango? What in the-" 

Her breathing grows more ragged. "Please…No questions…just hurry. I don't know how much longer I can hold her." 

"Her?.…alright." Blinking, he pulls the paper strip from his sleeve and pastes it to her forehead, invoking the spell with the word "Houriki!" 

Sango collapses onto the floor, her body shaking. The exorcism consumes a good deal effort as evident by her strained breathing and the beads of sweat building up on her forehead. What can be seen of her face grimaces in concentration. A spot of poisoned blood drains from her back over her wound from the spider's bite. 

With an arm around her shaking shoulders, he holds her back up straight as she sits. Minutes later, her strength reserves give out and she slumps back against his broad chest. 

"Is it gone?" 

******************************************************************************************************************** 

Random Vocabulariness: (loose translations)   
Kugutsu: a puppet   
Houriki: A spell of Miroku's used to invoke Buddhist spiritual powers.   
O-fuda: A paper strip with writing on it; it's kind of the medium for delivering Miroku's Buddhist Powers.   
Baka: (Well, for those who haven't seen it yet.) Idiot, moron, etc.   
  



	9. Free Mind

In the darkened void of Sango's mind, the shadows form makeshift walls, holding in few things are actually visible. A rope lies on the floor, thrown off to the side and a pale youkai sits panting on the floor. A few feet away, Sango stands, feeling the whole of her weight dragging her down, but her anger carries her on. Her full battle gear replaces the yukata she was wearing earlier and the familiar feel of her heavy boomerang weighs down upon her right arm.

Sango lifts Hiraikotsu over her head, in ready position to swing it's bladelike edge into the youkai's prone form. "It's time for you to leave." 

Glassy, pale blue eyes regard her in shock. "But how did you...your clothes..." 

"It's my head. Figure it out!" 

The giant boomerang swings back to pick up extra speed before it releases from the taiji-ya's hand, spinning with great speed towards the youkai, who is making a great show of standing up and dusting herself off. 

In a flash, the youkai phases out of the spot she had been standing in just as the blade whisks the air in the empty space. 

The boomerang returns to Sango and she grabs it by its red rope handle. Gritting her teeth, she quickly scans the room for any sign of her opponent. 

A few feet from the spot of her disappearance, the demoness phases back in for a few moments, leaving behind only a smug, Cheshire cat-like grin. "Heh. It won't be that easy to get rid of me." 

As quickly as it came, the grin fades into nothingness and the demonic presence left the air, leaving it warm yet very empty. 

Sango slumps onto the dark ground, the weight of her new bruises and her tired, aching muscles proving too much for her weakening knees to handle. "Damn it!" she screams as she pounds her fist onto the floor. Overcome with weariness and anger, her body begins to quake with the onslaught of tears. 

********************************************************************************************************************** 

Black Widow   
Free Mind   
Sango-sama 

Disclaimer: Is there really any purpose for these? I mean, basically by putting this up on Fanfiction.net assumes that unless it is the categories for original work (novels, poetry, etc.) we don't own these characters. I just can't be imaginative about this right now. Wah! 

Behold the Power of Cheese! 

Okay. I think I have actually put off this chapter longer than I needed to. For that I am sorry, but there is supposed to be a good deal of info in here to explain my insane plot. I also have other tests and fun homework (yeah!) and laundry that I needed to study for and do with this time, so it will probably be a bit slow going for a bit. 

********************************************************************************************************************** 

Her eyes clench tightly, but are unable to conceal all of the tears, as one straggler sneaks out and begins to slide down her cheek, only to be caught by the gentle trace of a thumb. 

As the pressure of the touch left her face, her eyes flutter halfway open, to meet the Houshi's gently smiling lavender eyes. 

"Sango! You're awake. Good." 

"How long have I been out?" 

"About an hour or so. The sun has started to shine through the caves opening." 

Squinting, she turns to verify that the sun is indeed peeking through the entrance. 

Gesturing to his blood stained, curse free hand, he continues, "You've been bleeding quite a bit. It's almost black...." 

Weakly, she allows her eyes to look up into his. "I know. I was trying to leech out the last of that demon's powers from my system. But she got away." 

Confusion clouds his eyes for a few moments. "How did this...? Was it the spider bite?" 

Nodding her head almost imperceptibly, she mumbles, "I'm pretty sure." 

"And she got away? From inside you?" 

Her teeth clench in irritation. "Yes. And she assured me she'd be back." 

Looking around at their lodgings, Miroku considers the whole situation. "Perhaps we should leave. If she knows we've been here, she'll probably be back with reinforcements. Besides, we have to try and find a way to break that barrier." 

********************************************************************************************************************** 

"Kirara, can you try and find Sango-chan from the sky?" 

Shippou turns to Kagome with large, almost puppy dog eyes. "Kagome, can I go with her too?" 

Kagome giggles at the sight. "Okay, Shippou-chan. Just remember, if you find them--" 

"I'll send up a foxfire. I know, I know. Can we go now?" 

"Sure." 

"Yeah! C'mon Kirara!" Tiny kitsune legs run over to the saber cat as fast as they possibly can. 

Kirara sits down on the ground so Shippou can climb on. Holding on to the tuft of mane around her neck, she stands and launches herself into the air, springing off the ground with the full force of her staunch back legs. 

Sighing, Kagome turns back to the edge of the brightening forest. "I hope we can find them soon." 

Inuyasha sidles up beside her, matching her gaze into the woods. "We will. Now, climb on. We have to find that sukebe bouzu before Sango beats him to a pulp." 

Lightly chuckling, she climbs up onto his back. 'Inuyasha, thank you for understanding.' 

********************************************************************************************************************** 

A foot treads slowly upon the rock's surface. As it's match moves to take another step, the precarious balance between the two is lost, and the weight of their owner sends her crashing to her knees. 

Sighing, the houshi shakes his head. "Sango, that's the third time you've fallen. Please, let me help you." 

Struggling, she places both hands on the ground to steady herself and slowly stands back up. "I can do this by myself." 

"You said yourself we need to put some distance between us and the cave. The sooner we can find the others, the sooner we can get you to Kaede's to make sure that you are alright." 

Far too tired to argue, her head bows in surrender as she allows her resolve to melt away. "Alright, Houshi-sama." 

Kneeling down in front of her. "Wrap your arms around my neck." 

Realization lights up her face. "Houshi-sama, no. I'd be too heavy." 

"You let me worry about that, Sango." 

Images of her riding on her father's back as a young girl flooded her mind, causes a deep blush to settle on her cheeks. Hesitantly, her arms move up around his neck, securing herself against his broad back as he quickly tugs her up off of the ground.


	10. Truth (Temporary title)

What was that you said? L...L... Hmmm. I can't quite read it on the screen here. My eyes just seem to be going bad all of a sudden. Li-Ah! I see. Lime. ::a slow, Grinch-esque grin passes over Sango-sama's face::

  


Black Widow 

Truth (Temporary Title)

Sango-sama

Disclaimer: I know nothing, I see nothing, I hear nothing, and I own nothing. 

********************************************************************************************************************** 

The pair travel silently, she on his back while they walk along a marginally cleared path in the forest. A mass of browns and greens surround them on all sides, making it far too easy for them to get lost. 

One of his hands looped around her rump, uncharacteristically still for his normal habits while the other grasps his shajaku, its metal rings clinking together in a rhythmic harmony with his stride. Her arms drape over his shoulders, one loosely hugging his neck and the other holding on to his chest from around his broad shoulder. 

It was still as deadly silent as it had been since they passed through the barrier's outer wall. No sign of any recent animal tracks remain along the path; the ones he found were from perhaps a week or longer before. 

'What could have caused all the creatures to leave?' His eyes scan the forest floor to the treetops as he moves along. 'Perhaps this demoness who used Sango...' His head turns to the side to catch a hasty glimpse of his companion on his back. 

Her head tilts to rest upon his shoulder so that her breath passes over the back of his neck, eliciting a delicious, involuntary shiver from him. Her ample chest, which had been pressed against his back, presses into him in time with her soft, sleepy breaths. 

In the very least, the Houshi was having a bit of trouble controlling his normal response to such an opportune situation. Nodding his head, he tries to push the thoughts from his head. 

Huffing a bit, he slows and bounces Sango up a little so as to readjust his grasp. 

Awakening at the jolt, a light moan pushes its way from her lips as her eyes clench shut tightly, shielding them from the cruel sun's brilliant light of the early morning. 

"Houshi-sama," she murmurs, her face sliding up to set her chin on his open shoulder as his turns to face her, inadvertently brushing his lips to her cheek. Her eyes widen, blood flushing her cheeks a deep crimson. 

Running his tongue lightly across his bottom lip, he turns his head back to the front, his eyes shining with a characteristically lecherous gleam. "Hai, Sango." 

Stumbling to regain her already sleep addled train of thought, she manages, "I...Houshi-sama...Move your hand." 

"Ah. But Sango, how else am I supposed to carry you?" His lips turn up wryly. "Besides, do you really want me to move it?" 

Her lips purse and an eyebrow rises, her eyes glaring accusingly at his face. "Hentai." 

Yet she does no more. 

********************************************************************************************************************** 

Inuyasha places a clawed hand to the edge of the invisible barrier, which bounces off with considerable force. He tumbles back across the ground a good five feet before sprawling out on the grass. 

"Inuyasha." Kagome runs to him. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah." Irritated, Inuyasha glares at the barrier, searching for a weakness in the evil force. Standing up, he brushes himself off and returns to the barrier's edge. 

"This is something like Naraku's barrier," Kagome reasons. "It's giving off an evil aura. But--" 

"But it doesn't smell that bastard." Crinkling his nose up, he rubs his sore hand. "Just as bad....but it's not him." 

"Whoever it is, they have to be powerful enough to set up this barrier." 

A cocky grin spreads across his face. "Feh. It won't stand for too much longer." 

In a matter of seconds, an unsheathed Tetsusaiga rises into the air, but remains untransformed. 

"The evil aura won't let it transform?" 

Sighing, Kagome sinks to the ground. "I guess we wait for Kirara and Shippou." 

********************************************************************************************************************** 

Sango sits against a tree, playing with a blade of grass. Needing something, anything, to keep her mind occupied--anything to avoid thinking about that demon's conversation with him in the cave. 

"Sango, we need to talk." 

Her eyes focus onto the piece of grass she was twisting between her fingers. She doesn't dare raise them to meet his. "I know." 

Frowning slightly, he watches her as he continues. "This demoness...what did she do to you?" 

"It was like being in my own body, but unable to control the slightest movement. I could see and hear and think just fine. But I couldn't speak or move." The blade of grass snaps between her fingers. Her eyes close and head bows with a sort of mock reverence. "I was just barely able to stop her in time." 

His eyes grow serious. "So she was trying to kill me." 

"Mmmhmm." 

"I can't think of anyone not related to Naraku who would actively seek us out." 

"But the person holding me captive was definitely a woman." 

"He does have that shape-shifting ability…but you may be right. I couldn't detect his presence." 

Sango stands up and faces away from him. 

"Sango." 

"Hmm?" 

"When did she take you over?" 

Her cheeks flush a bright red. In spite of all of the courage she had in facing youkai, she can't bring herself to turn to look into his eyes."After I went out to wash my face." 

"So that was…" 

"Yeah. It wasn't me talking to you in the cave...she had seen all my memories, my thoughts...my feelings, but she was still that demon." 

A pause hangs between them as the Houshi processes this newfound information. "Then the kiss was…" 

"Just a distraction. She was going to poison you, I think. When she was in my mind, I could see flashes of her thoughts. She wanted me to watch you suffer and for me to blame myself." 

The light crunch of grass beneath footfalls grows closer to her until two strong arms encircle around her, one at her shoulders and the other just below her chest. 

"I wouldn't blame you at all, Sango. I know you wouldn't really try to hurt me." 

A light smile crosses her lips. "Except when you act like a lech." 

"Of course." Smiling, his head bends down, open lips teasingly trailing his warm breath down the side of her neck to reach it's sensitive pulse point, where he presses his lips to her warming skin. 

The touch was electric. A breathy moan of pleasure shudders through her own lips. Almost reflexively, she tilts her head away, granting him all of the access to the exposed flesh of her neck that her yukata would allow. Her arms reach up and hold onto the arm encompassing her shoulder. 

His lips slowly rise back up her neck placing gentle nip sat short intervals, all the way up to just behind her ear. "Sango," he whispers. 

Her head turns so that her eyes, drunken with the overwhelming sensations, meet his smoldering ones. Their eyes dart back and forth between eyes and lips, drawing together with an agonizingly wonderful dawdling. 

She turns in his arms, moving her delicately able hands up behind his neck, as his arms gently remain in place, both supporting and pulling her to him. 

"Houshi-sama," she breathes, closing her eyes. 

Lips crash upon lips, drinking in the full range of sensations. 

Their eyes open briefly, reading each other's and seeing no hesitation before moving back to interlock like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. 

His tongue flicks out over her bottom lip, until her lips part. 

Delicately, he tastes the inside of her mouth, before drawing her tongue to his. Somewhat blindly she follows, wondering absently exactly how much experience he has had, before moving her tongue to join his. Their tongues twine and dance against each other until the need to breathe overcomes them both. 

"Ahem. If you're done now." 

"Osuwari." Kagome exhaustingly raises a hand to her forehead. "He has no delicacy at all." 

"Baka," mutters Shippou.


	11. The Journey Home

Black Widow

Black Widow

The Journey Home

Sango-sama   


I apologize in advance for this super long rant.   


Sorry, this chapter took a bit longer to write for four reasons. 1) I have been reviewing criminal case records for a project that I have been doing, which involves going through the run-down of forensic evidence and its applications to its respective the case. Hopefully, I soon get to actually see the bone fragments for this one that will be highly integral to my project, but it is unlikely seeing as how it was used for evidence. And the by far the more entertaining reason (to me) 2) I spent the whole of yesterday watching chunks of Sorcerer Hunters, Saber Marionette J, Ayashi no Ceres, Gasaraki, and Demon Fighter Kocho (And yes, its very similar to Yoko). So I am playing a bit of catch up. 3) Then I went around reading Xellos/Filia fics…one of my other fairly recent obsessions. 4) Then my sleep addled brain decides, "I want to write a new story!" Unable to shut it up, I have a new plot I'm working with for Sango/Miroku. All I can say is that it will be Alternate Universe, and they definitely keep character quirks….especially Miroku. ^_^

Well, I was trying to use last chapter as a gauge of how much I can write without offending people, but I've only received a few reviews (and I'm very grateful for what I have gotten!) Seriously, if you do not like my writing style aside from word tense (which I chose to use present because past is so common and I like to be different), please let me know, this includes problem in word tense usage. Mind you, I tend to do my better writing in the early hours of the morning, but it seems that my grammar skills go bye-bye and I tend to post as soon as I get done with it. If there is something you like about the style or the plot more than others or if there is something you feel is missing, I also want to hear. As much as I love to hear, "Gee, this is a nice fic you got here," I tend to find constructive criticism more valuable because I really do want to improve as a writer. 

And lastly, being that I haven't ever written anything that would remotely be considered lemon but was planning to with this story, I will likely be working on a side story after this is complete, with a little bit of outside help from my friends. As far as how long this will turn out to be, well…I had planned for it to have ended in the cave. I was actually thinking about having the demon Sango actually kill Miroku and then for Sango to regain herself and deal with that. ^_^* Luckily, I changed my mind. Anyways, it looks like there will be at least 15 chapters, and I'll be updating you all if it will go much longer over that. 

********************************************************************************************************* 

Sango's face blushes bright and deep, her eyes intently watching the forest floor. The Houshi's large hand presses against the small of her back, holding her close to him. His own eyes glare upon the hanyou slowly lifting himself from the ground before crossing in an air of annoyance. 

"Feh. Kagome goes and gets all worked up about you two being in trouble and there you are, busy shoving tongues down each other's throats. What were you doing last night that kept you from breaking the barrier?" A cocky grin perks Inuyasha's lips. 

Kagome's hand remains across her forehead, trying to soothe the growing ache pulsing at her temples. 'Baka.' 

An eyebrow stands ominously on the Taiji-ya's face, her hands balling into fists at her sides. 

Miroku closes his eyes, shaking his head. Having been on the receiving end of her wrath before, he almost felt sorry for Inuyasha. Almost. 

"Oi…Kirara." Sango shouts, her hands waving around in a rather obvious gesture. 

Kirara looks obediently to her master and then to the hanyou, brushing a few stray leaves off of himself. 

Shippou covers his eyes, muttering "I can't watch this," before spreading out his chubby fingers and peaking through at the scene anyways. 

Kirara sidles over, most of her long feline form brushing past Inuyasha before she leans her head down to the ground. Her tail waving in the air, she throws its muscular weight around quickly. 

Inuyasha's eyes widen as he sees the fiery tails moving towards him and moves to jump out of the way, but is not quite fast enough as her tail clips him, forcefully enough to send him flying into the nearby pond a little more than slight singed. Steam rises up from the water's surface at the epicenter of the ripples. 

Sputtering, a wet half demon dog dredges himself to the shore, rivulets of water pouring down off of his. "What the Hell was that for?" 

"What do you think, Baka?" mutters the kitsune. 

Everyone's attention turns away from the drenched hanyou as Sango and Miroku slowly approach the others. 

The pressure at her back increases gently, as he guides her over to the others. "Will you be alright with the walking?" 

"I think so." 

"Good." Leaning over, he quickly places his lips to her cheek, before moving his head back to whisper in her ear. "We can finish our talk later." 

Still a bit shyly, she nods. 

Kirara lies her body on the ground and he helps Sango up onto her back. 

"Kagome, Kirara, Shippou, please see to it that she goes to Kaede and is treated." 

Shippou leans his head, a bit curious. "What are you gonna do, Miroku?" 

Leaning his shajaku against a tall tree, Miroku cracks his knuckles. "Inuyasha and I need to have a little talk." 

********************************************************************************************************* 

"Okanka." 

"Hai, Naraku-sama." Her pale arms glide down over his sinewy shoulders, hugging his chest. 

"You have failed in your mission?" 

She bites her lip, attempting rather vainly to conceal her growing fear. "Hai, Naraku-sama." 

Lightly, he passes his delicate finger over her arms, raising goose bumps at his gentle touch. Then, without any warning, his nails bite deep into her skin, calling forth trails of blood from each wound to unnaturally darken her pale skin. A cruel smirk plays against his normally stoic features. 

A mixture of surprise and pain washes over her face as she rushes to withdraw her arms from his grasp. 

"Do not do so again." 

Fear consumes her eyes as she sits bleeding and panting on the ground. 

"And do not underestimate them again. I'm not as likely to be so forgiving next time." 

"Hai." 

********************************************************************************************************* 

Shippou hangs on to Kirara's neck, snoring gently into her fur. 

Kagome searches for words to fill the silence. "So, Sango…what happened back there?" 

Blushing deeply, she turns her head away from view. "Well, I suppose you saw most of it." 

Smiling lightly, Kagome presses a bit further for details to comfort her own anxieties. "Well…I meant last night. I kept getting a really bad feeling that something was going wrong." 

"This body almost killed him." Frowning, her eyebrows knit in frustration. 

Kagome's jaw drops. "Eh?" 

"Someone or something took over control of my body. I could still think and see, I just couldn't move or speak." Her head bows. "I barely stopped it in time before…." 

A dead silence drops over the groups as Kagome tries to absorb this. Sango struggles to hold back a stray tear, hanging precariously onto her bottom eyelash. 

"Are you alright now?" 

"I think so. But the sooner, we get to Kaede's, the better I'll feel." 

"Okay." 

********************************************************************************************************* 

_****OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!****_

_****OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE! OMAKE!****_   


**What happens in Miroku and Inuyasha's "little talk."**   
****

Kirara leaps off the ground, carrying her passengers off with great speed.

Once they were out of sight, Inuyasha and Miroku turn to each other. 

Inuyasha eyes widen in curiosity. "So….tongue?" 

"Yeah," Miroku smirks. 

"Cool." 

********************************************************************************************************* 

Wah! I have seen Blue Seed's omake a few too many times. ^_^ Omake means "extra", by the way. Was there any real purpose for this? No. I just had the stupid idea in my head and had to put it to virtual paper. 


	12. A Time for Healing

Black Widow   
A Time for Healing   
Sango-sama 

Well...once again, I am a bit late in putting this out. Like I mentioned last chapter, I've got an AU fic in mind that won't let my brain wrestle with this monster in peace. But there are two good things coming from this: 1) I will be working on both concurrently and will hopefully be able to post the first chapter up by Saturday....sorry, I don't have a title yet. 2) For you fans of citrus, this other fic should be quite appealing to you. ^_^* Quite likely, it will be a double lemon, but not quite the usual pairings... Though since all I seem to write is Sango/Miroku fics, you can bepretty damn sure they'll be in it. 

********************************************************************************************************** 

Along the walls of Kaede's store house is a veritable menagerie of herbs, jars of every size, shape, and color storing herbs, roots, and berries and flower. All but the berries had been painstakingly ground down to a fine powder and were all but indistinguishable if not for the brightly colored jars containing them. 

"The orange jar...Orange...hmmm..." Shippou hurries along from jar to jar, examining each to find the elusive jar of Willow root, his chubby fingers pointing out the jars to himself as he passes. "Blue...purple...red...oran-- Yatta!." 

Tiny legs patter over soft dirt around the back of the shelter to the door frame at the front. Lifting it into the air, he smiles toothily. "I found it." 

"So you did." Kaede turns her attentions back to her patient, loosening the blood caked bandages from over her wound. "Set it over there, please," she gently directs, gesturing to the ground in front of a smiling Kagome. 

"Thank you, Shippou." Kagome pats his head appreciatively before beginning her work to mix a poultice for her friend's back, as Shippou crouches down earnestly watching as the bowl's contents blend together. 

Sango lay stretching across the floor on her stomach, pillowing her head on her arms, so that Kaede could check the wound on her back. 

Dipping a clean piece of cloth into a wooden bucket of frigid river water, Kaede dabs at the wound, cleaning away the blood that had crusted at the wound. Sango shivers at the chill of the water on her back, before settling back down onto her arms. Kaede dips the rag back into the bucket, wringing it thoroughly before replacing it at her shoulder. Blood mingles with water in the bucket, tainting the once pure water a light pink. 

A small earthen bowl clinks against a wooden board on the floor as Kagome mixes a bit of the powder from the orange jar with just a bit of water. 

Kirara, in her smaller form, sniffs at the wound on her master's back before resting her head at her paws so that her nose was nearly touching Sango's. The sight of the mythical cat, lying down at her side with concern shining in her golden eyes, is all that it takes for the Taiji-ya to smile. Nuzzling her own nose to Kirara's, she reaches her loose arm out to pet Kirara, stroking the area beneath her chin as the cat purrs happily. 

A wrinkled hand presses down on her back, spreading a warm slave over the wound. "I'm not detecting any evil aura right now, but I suppose it's just as well seeing how there really isn't any way to remove any more venom without leeching out more blood." The aged miko finishes her task with the salve, as Kagome works at applying an antibiotic from her time and fresh wraps to Sango's wound. "You're a bit too pale already." 

The thump of heavy, barefoot feet on creaking wood alerts the group to the presence of a rather bruised Inuyasha. Two lumps stand up noticeably from his thick skull. 

"Inuyasha, are you all right?" Kagome asks from across the room, placing a final strip of white medical tape over the gauze dressing. 

"Feh." His eyes narrow, with an apparent arrogance in the timbre of his voice and his stance. "Of course. Do you actually think that sukebe bouzu can really hurt me?" 

Human and kitsune alike roll their eyes at the familiar display, not bothering to challenge the hanyou's ego. 

Sango places her palms against the floor, pushing herself up onto her knees. Readjusting the top of her yukata, she shakily rises up to her feet. 

A spark of remembrance lights the old woman's eyes. "Speaking of, Sango, I heard you spent the evening with Houshi-dono." Sango's cheeks strike up that familiar shade of vermilion, as the old miko's voice betrays a healthy dose of cynicism for the monk's ability to control himself...or usual lack thereof. "Did he behave?" 

As a new blush rises high across her cheeks, she turns her eyes away, peering out the doorway with distant gaze in her eyes. "Far better than I had expected." 

********************************************************************************************************** 

Beneath the fronds of the willow tree, the Houshi sits deep in thought, running the fingers of his uncursed over the length of the prayer beads. 'How in the world can I handle this now. I can't very well just keep pushing her away....but I can't stand the thought of her being hurt.' 

Light footfalls fall over leaves and grasses, pulling the Houshi from his train of thought. She stops a few feet away, as a gentle breeze lifts tendrils of her hair in ribbons, pulling and twisting them at its beckoning. 

"Houshi-sama..." she murmurs, the words barely spilling over her slightly parted lips. 

Lifting his head, his lavender eyes fall upon hers, widening with surprise to see a sort of longing in the midst of their normal innocence. 

His desire to protect her melts to pure desire-- to touch her skin, to feel her warmth, to flood his senses with only her. This same desire drives him to stand and close the gap between them, while she mirrors his actions until they meet halfway, burying themselves in each others arms. 

His lips melt with the top of her forehead as her head rests upon his sinewy chest, breathing in his masculine scent as if each breath were her last. 

"What was Kaede able to do for you?" 

Sighing, she brings her eyes back up to meet his. "Not much. She was able to bring the pain down a bit, but she said the poison was too far into my system for any of her methods to help." 

"So, we'll have to attack it more directly." Slowly, he pushes her out of his arms and rifles through his outer robe for a few seconds. Grasping her arm, he slides a new rosary up over her wrist. "This should help shield you from the control spell, but I'll tell you right now it may hurt quite a bit." 

"That's alright." She smiles back at him before walking over to the trunk of the willow tree and sitting against its base. "It's better than watching any of you get hurt and being unable to stop it." 

Kneeling down beside her, he captures her lips with his. 

********************************************************************************************************** 

From the darkened shadows of the deep forest, a pair of eyes watch the pair, gleaming a maliciously dark crimson. 

'Don't think you have gotten away, girl.' A cruel smirk twitsts her face. 'You haven't experienced my true power yet. Both you and your love will feel it; and it will destroy you both. And then...I'll make him suffer too.' The smirk widens broadly, as a small brown spider climbs up and down the hills formed between her fingers. As the spider crawls around her thumb and into her palm, Okanka catches it in her fist, effectively crushing it in a single effortless motion. 

Turning the palm back over, her fingers turn out so that her palm lay flat, the spider now nothing but a fine layer of dust. 

Pursed lips and her flattened palm meet midway, as she blows across the palm in the direction. "Time to play, my darlings." 

The dust particles lift and drop by virtue of the breeze, slowly moving towards the pair.   
  



	13. Friction

Black Widow   
Friction   
Sango-sama 

This chapter took far too long. I'm pretty sure my roommate will attest to this. Once again this is not a final version...there's probably a number mistakes and unclear details. But it's down on paper, so I won't complain too much. I plan to do an overhaul on this whole thing when it is complete and I have time. If anyone wants to volunteer to do some Beta-ing for either grammer's sake or for details, I would really appreciate it. If not, I'll have to give myself some time before I look at this again. 

I had wanted to some really good ideas for the AU fic, but they can stew a bit longer. ^_^ It was another test and my site kept me from this for quite some time. Anyways, I have basic plot stuff sketched out for the end of the story. If all goes as planned this will have 15 chapters and perhaps a short epilogue story. 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

Eyes closed, her lips still press to his. Her tongue darting out over his lower lip, tasting the remnants of sweetness lingering from the peaches the day before. 

Pulling back out of the kiss, he settles back onto his knees. "Sango..." His eyes lock onto hers, searching the for any sign of doubt, finding none. 

His uncursed hand reaches up, lightly tracing the contour of her face. His slightly calloused fingertips slowly trailing down her cheek and down her jaw bone to her chin. Her breathing growing more strained, she lightly shudders under his prolonged touch. 

Her eyes, closing halfway, glaze over in desire, allowing her to fall deep into the sensations his touch was bringing to her. Half-moaning from the sensation, she murmurs, "Miroku." 

Gentleness succumbs to passion's flame as he leans down, strong arms pulling her waist tightly against his own, their lips crashing upon each other. Their tongues intertwine, waging silent war for supremacy--a battle where both winner and loser can revel in the spoils of war. 

Sango weaves a hand through his hair, gently pulling his locks free of their binding. Silken strands of inky black graze across the top of his shoulders before her fingers move to weave through it again, clinking the beads of the rosary together. 

Their lips remain close though not quite touching, teasing each other with the warmth of labored breaths. 

Slowly, a hand creeps down from it's place on Sango's lower back, cupping her rear as he lifts her off the ground, pulling her up closer to him. 

Sango's right eyebrow rises as she groans into the kiss. Pulling herself back, she gives him a warning look. "Miroku." 

"Sorry," he smiles a bit sheepishly, bringing himself to eye level to place a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. "Force of habit, I suppose." 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

Crimson eyes gleam menacingly from the shade of the underbrush. With a silent predatory movement, it emerges from the bushes. Red Feral markings seem to rip across its abdomen. Poison drips froms it's vise-like jaw, beading and sliding down the curved, hooklike tip. Its long black legs skittering across the forest floor, slowing as it nears Okanka. 

The woman pets the massive spider, whose head stands slightly higher than her own. Her eyes shine with a dangerous joy. "Do you see that man, darling?" 

Two pairs of red eyes regard her. It's jaw quivers, emitting a shrill squeal. 

"Kill him." 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

Back at Kaede's house, Kirara allows herself a little feline luxury as she cat naps, warming her golden fur in the sunlight. So rarely does she succumb to her feline niceties, aside from occasional petting from Sango and Kagome. Curled into a ball, her sleepy eyes regard the forest. 

Her head rises suddenly, ears springing forward, as the hair at the back of her neck stands on end. In a moment, she is on her haunches, springing with the full force of her sinewy hind legs off the wooden porch and onto the damp soil. 

The pattering of tiny paws brings Shippou to the entryway. Sleepy, half-lidded eyes attempt to focus on Kirara's form but are unable as flames writhe about the cat's form, twisting and pulling her shape in the giant saber form. 

"Kirara-chan, where are you...?" 

She peers back over her shoulder to look briefly at Shippou, before growling softly, her eyes sadly pleading. 

Frowning, Shippou stares at the sabre for a few seconds before understanding washes over his face, a feeling of cold pounding down his spine. His eyes wide, he runs back inside Kaede's door, yelling loudly. "Kagome! InuYasha!" 

Kirara, quickly bounds into the dark forest, ahead of the others. 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

The Houshi's mouth wanders down Sango's neck tempting the top of her yukata from her shoulders with his lips. 

Her hands still ravelled in his hair, as he meanders down her front. She shivers as he moves ever lower. 

"Miroku," she strains to murmur, through the quakes. 

His mouth quickly breaks away from the unveiled skin, bringing his eyes to hers. 

"Sango. Did I...Did I hurt you?" 

Her eyes never met his. Instead she stares into space, eyes wide and forward, quaking even more violently than before. The prayer beads he gave to her clink together, before she falls back in exhaustion. 

His eyes move to the beads on her wrist, his eyes slowly widening as the pieces begin to fall into place. 

But realization dawns on him far too late, as something sharp pierces his upper back. 

Struggling, he turns to see giant spider eyes staring back at him. 

The pain was starting to take over his system. 

Focusing his energies, he manages to dredge a fuda from his sleeve and fling it onto the spider's head. 

The spider quivers for a second before i melts to the ground as dust. 

Smiling for but a few seconds, his world grows dark. 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

Warm. 

So warm. 

Safe. 

A chill wind passes, making her painfully aware of how far open her yukata is. 

'My yukata...open?' 

Her eyes part open groggily. 

The weight of the collapsed Houshi presses down on Sango's lap, his hand setting in a fairly dangerous position on her thigh. 

Her mind doesn't think. It just reacts. 

Her hand raises into the air, swinging it down to beat some sense into the Houshi. 

"Blood?" Her fist stops inches away from his back. The deep red blood was seeping fast from two large wounds at the back of his neck. 

Her eyes widen as a thought occurs to her. Her fingers absently travel to the back of her own neck, tracing the two small scars there. 

'A spider did this?' 

"Houshi-sama? Wake up!" She shakes his shoulders to no avail. 

Setting her jaw, she frowns. "Only one thing I can do then...." 

Her head drops down to the wound, her lips sucking at it. Quickly, she turns her head, spitting it out onto the ground. 

Wiping her blood-covered lips with the back of her arm, she mutters, "he better not wake up during this." 

********************************************************************************************************************* 

From her hiding place, pale, shining eyes regard the bloody scene, rapidly preparing with another Spider Kugutsu in her hands. 

"Ah...Naraku's toys are so much fun, but they never last," she pouts. "I'll have to take them all from him when I kill him." 

Mad laughter rings through the forest air.


	14. Mind Haze

Black Widow   
Sango-sama   
Mind Haze 

Disclaimer: No. I still don't own Inuyasha. Wah! 

Author's notes at the end. 

******************************************************************************************************* 

The semiconscious form of the Houshi quakes as chills surge down his back. He begins to moan as the chills course through him. His lips turn a dark blue, in spite of all the movement from his shivering. 

"He's getting more pale," she thinks to herself somberly, the slightest hint of panic apparent in her carefully leveled voice. 

His whole form flails as Sango struggles to hold him still enough to suck the poison from his system. Gently pushing him from her lap, she settles her weight on his back, pressing his body between herself and the ground. Her lips move back over the wounds, drawing out what poison she can and them spitting it out on the ground, leaving the ground a deep shade of pink where the poisoned blood soaks into the soil. 

His body still trembles with the chill's force. Frowning, she unties his outer robe, sliding the purple cloth out from under him. Ripping off a long strip from the bottom of the fabric, she presses it against Miroku's wounds, letting the blood soak in and clot. She drapes the remaining cloth over the Houshi's exposed legs, tucking it around him tightly. 

She pulls him back flush with her body, trying to warm his skin with her own. 

"C'mon, Houshi-sama....wake up." 

******************************************************************************************************* 

A hand draws up to Kagome's lips. "Sango-chan! Miroku!" 

"Where the hell is that bouzo?" A flash of red and white drops to the ground from the treetops above. 

She looks to him expectantly. "Did you see anything?" 

Frowning, he shakes his head. "Where's the brat?" 

"Who's a brat?" Shippou pouts cutely, jumping up on the hanyou's head and looking down at him. 

Inuyasha reaches up to swat the kitsune off his head, stopping just shy of the kitsune's head. The kit flinches, squeezing it's eyes shut tight and waiting for the fist to make contact with his skull. But nothing came. 

Inuyasha stares hard into the shaded area of the forest. His ears lift in alert and his weight shift to the balls of his feet, ready to spring ahead at a moments notice. 

Shippou slowly opens his eyes, one at a time. "Haha! You missed me Dog-boy!" 

A fists baps the young kit before Inuyasha focuses back onto the dark. 

A delicate hand sets on his shoulder. "Inuyasha, what is it?" 

A cocky grin perks his lips as he cracks his knuckles. "We've got guests." 

******************************************************************************************************* 

The coppery taste of blood still lingers in her mouth. She glances longingly at the small stream, but taking care of her charge was taking precedence at the moment. 

She looks down on her lap to see his sleeping face, watching as the color of his face starts settling back to normal. 

His chills had settled down only to be replaced by a fever. Her hand smooths over his bangs, pushing them up off of his forehead. His head is still quite warm and flushed, but his poison-induced fever was breaking. 

She smiles in relief, absently running her fingers through his bangs. 'He will be waking up soon.' 

As much as she was enjoying being close to him without fear of being groped, she couldn't figure out why in the world the two of them had gone out this far into the forest in the first place. 

A frown settles over her features. "I must have been out for a few days after that spider bite....but how did I get out here?" 

The beads on her wrist clink together, tugging her attention away from the Houshi's sleeping face for a few seconds. 

"Just what has happened to me?" 

******************************************************************************************************* 

The heavy red fabric rips in two as the the spider's leg jabs down, just missing the hanyou's arm. 

Inuyasha jumps back into the air, landing a few meters from where he was just standing. 

Four more giant spiders emerge from the shadows and he can sense a good number more still lurking in the shadows beyond. He pulls Tetsusaiga's blade from its sheath, letting it transform as the blade scrapes across the sheath's narrow opening. 

"Shippou, stay back with Kagome. If I miss any, use Fox fire." 

******************************************************************************************************* 

Eyelids twitch, squinting under the sun's bright light, as awareness floods his senses. 

Something cold rests on his forehead. Of that he was certain. The feel of its light pressure drawing away some of the heat he had been suffering elicits a slight but welcome shiver down his back. 

Lavender eyes slowly flutter open. 

"Sango?" he slurs. 

His head set in her lap and her hand lays atop his forehead. 

A soft sigh of relief breifly passes her lips. "How are you feeling?" 

The Houshi tries to sit up, feeling the tension of the healing wound at his back. His stomach lurches at the motion and he coughs a bit to maintain his bearings, while her hand slips around to hold his back steady. 

"Like hell." His hand moves up to his forehead, rubbing away the pain that had centered itself at his temples. 

"That's not too surprising, I suppose. Do you know what happened?" 

Pausing a few moments, his fingers drift down to the bridge of his nose. 

"Well, we had been kissing when this huge spider--" 

"What?" The vein above Sango's eye pops. Heart heart jumps in spite of herself. 

"What?" He looks up into her eyes uncertainly, "About the spider?" 

"NO!" she yells, before becoming a bit more conscious of herself. "No. The part before that." 

"You mean the kissing?" 

A blush firmly impresses itself on her cheeks. "Yes, of course I mean the kissing! Why in the world would I be kissing a perverted Houshi like you?" 

His eyes slowly search hers. "You mean you honestly can't remember?" 

For a second, she truly regrets yelling at him. His eyes seem so sad and his pain genuine. 

Her hands fall to her lap and her eyes suddenly find the ground intensely interesting. "No, I can't." 

He watches her a few seconds. "What can you remember?" 

"I remember talking with Kagome at the spring...and then a sharp pain at my neck. Then nothing until I woke up a while ago." 

"Did you hit your head on anything?" 

"I don't think so..." She bit her lip. "It just feels like I've been asleep for a while. I can remember dreaming but I can't quite recall what it was all about." 

Miroku moves up onto his knees, setting his hand down on her head and pressing gently. "Well, I can't feel any lumps." 

Sango's blush peaks, as she stares in wide-eyed wonder at the monk. "Houshi-sama, I..." 

Thumps thunder across the ground bringin the sabre cat to the two. 

"Kirara?" 

The cat growls an affirmative and stalks over to its master, nuzzling her arm. 

"Good girl...we should get you back to the village, Houshi-sama." Sango leans down to the ground, helping the Houshi stand. "I don't know if I got all the poison out." 

His hand wanders up, absently toying with the makeshift bandage. 

"Sango..." 

"Hmmm?" 

He presses his lips to her hairline, dropping a chaste kiss in its wake. "Thank you for taking care of me." 

Blushing, she turns away quickly. "Of course...I would do that for anyone in the group..." 

He smiles gently to her back. "Of course..." 

Her hand lift to where his lips were, replaying his breif, feather light touch in her mind 'Kami-sama, please let me remember...' 

******************************************************************************************************* 

A slice of bright white light cuts through the air, ripping three of the giant spiders apart at once. Drips of poison slip out of the wounds of the fallen, burning away the grasses and flowers that they touch. 

"Where the hell do these damn things keep coming from?" 

Kagome began to look very worried. "InuYasha, we have to hurry." 

"Eh?" 

"Even if Sango and Miroku are okay, they can't use their weapons. Hiraikotsu is back in the village, and Miroku can't use his Kaze Ana with as much poison as these things have." 

Tetsusaiga slices through the air with a swoosh. 

"Humph. We aren't going anywhere until we can waste these things. We need to find the source." 

******************************************************************************************************* 

One More Chapter! I think I may be more excited than the rest of you. Plus that side story is in the works....Blah. Hopefully, this will be done this weekend! 

Sango-sama   



	15. Breaking Free of the Dreams

Alright...here we go! Last Chapter! 

Black Widow   
Breaking Free of the Dreams   
Sango-sama 

******************************************************************************************************* 

Sitting atop the saber cat, they both could feel Kirara's chest expanding with effort of her heavy breaths. 

She moves swiftly over the ground, her paws making the ground tremble lightly below her. 

The Houshi sat behind Sango. His hands holding his shajaku on either side of her to stabilize himself as she grips tightly to the tuft of fur at Kirara's neck. His eyes begin to flutter closed, the exhaustion of his immune system from the poison. Sleepily, his body lurches forward against Sango's back, his arms falling limp to Sango's side. The staff of the shajaku presses down on her lap. 

Sango's eyebrows shot up, the vein on her forehead twitching. Her free hand swing up into the air purely out of reflex, before resignedly dropping back down to Kirara's neck. 

'Sango...calm down. He's not touching anything he's not supposed to.' 

'Breathe....Breathe....' 

'He's still sick....and he's asleep...' 

She feels the back of her throat tightening out of nervousness. 

'....and he's warm....' 

She forces the tightness away, swallowing it down in an effort to deny it was ever there. 

Sango's eyes hide beneath her bangs, focusing more attention on the rosy blush darkening her cheeks. 

Rather absently, her weight shifts back against him. 

'Kissing?' 

Her eyes trail back, looking at the Houshi's sleeping face from the corner of her eyes. His warm breath lightly tickling her through the fabric of her yukata. 

'I don't suppose that would be too bad...' 

******************************************************************************************************* 

"The source?" 

He watches as her eyes scan the trees, before they come back to meet his. 

"I'm not sensing any shards..." 

"Feh." His knuckles crack, popping his sharp claws out menacingly from his fingers. "Then it has to be...." He leaps from the ground, pouncing into the brush a fair distance away. 

A white figure hops out of the bushes, flipping away from the hanyou's claws and nearing Kagome and Shippou. 

"So it's the hanyou boy..." A smirk perks the female youkai's lips. "I was wondering when you'd finally notice I was around." 

"Would you like to taste my claws, bitch?" His wrist snaps down at her, missing tearing apart her form by mere miliseconds. 

"Don't assume you can catch me, hanyou." Her voice sounding somewhat disembodied, until she appears on a tree branch, leaning against the tree's thick trunk.   
"Your priest friend fell to one of my children, but as you see, I'm not nearly as weak nor as slow as my darlings." 

Kagome gasps. "Oh no! Miroku-sama..." 

InuYasha barely averts his eyes from hers, looking off sadly. 

"I'd imagine the poison he was given has killed him by now, ripping his weak body apart from the inside." 

******************************************************************************************************* 

Three pairs of eyes watch through the bushes. 

_"Your priest friend fell to one of my children, but you'll find I'm not nearly as weak as them."_

They watch as Kagome falls down to the ground on her knees. 

"So she is the one who tried to kill you..." 

The Houshi sits beside her, watching the InuYasha and the demoness circle each other through the brush. Beads of drape over his brow, proving he still was suffering from the remnants of the poison in his veins. "I suppose so..." 

She bites at the edge of her lip in consideration. "She look familiar....but I can't quite--" 

The youkai's eyes follow the path of InuYasha's, glaring directly at the wounded Houshi and the Taiji-ya, before making a swipe at InuYasha. "Where are you watching, boy?" 

Sango sits in a state of shock. The youkai had looked at them for a just a moment, but her mind already reels with a flood of visions. 

_The barrier._

_White eyes.___

_The dark room.___

_White eyes._

_Her reflection._

_White eyes. White eyes. White eyes.___

_All staring back at her._

Sango's eyes pop open and a soft gasps passes across her lips. "The dream..." 

The houshi regards her quietly. "Sango?" 

Her eyes still focus on the fight. "I have a plan." 

******************************************************************************************************* 

One of the spider kugutsu creeps up behind the kneeling Miko. 

"Kyaa! InuYasha! The shards!" 

He turns swiftly just in time to see the spider scrambling towards Okanka. Spinning on the balls of his feet, he lunges at the kugutsu. 

A flash of white spins before his eyes, grabbing the shard and popping it into her mouth. "Too slow, boy!" 

The shard pulses to life within her. Her arms lift up as her body grows taller. Her arms and legs split into two, forming eight spider-like legs. She throws back her head, laughing manically. "The power...it's marvellous!" 

InuYasha lunges at her, his claws extended and ready to rip her body apart. 

Okanka shoots one leg forward, catching him before he can reach her body and knocking him in the stomach. The leg curls around him, pulling his arms tight to his body. 

InuYasha struggles against the leg, wiggling his form in a vain effort to free his hands enough to rip her leg off. 

"I suppose you may as well know the name of the one who will kill you, halfli--" 

An ofuda rips through the air, pasting itself to Okanka's forehead. 

Her body ripples, as electric-like sparks dance across her limbs. 

InuYasha shouts out as the power reaches him, but he is still held fast by her leg. 

"Pitiful human magic...." she shouts, ripping the paper from her forehead. 

The Houshi limps out into view, preparing to throw another fuda. Kirara stands behind him, supporting him in case he starts to fall. 

Shippou's grow wide, "Miroku!" 

"Miroku-sama, you're alive?" Kagome and the kit run towards him. 

"You! How the Hell are you still alive?" Her eyes flash pure anger. 

Miroku smirks. "You'll never know, will you?" His hand readies to throw. 

"That won't work again, Houshi!" 

A sharp pain brings the Spider demoness to her knees and makes her loosen her hold on InuYasha, who drops of the ground uncerimoniously. 

Okanka's eyes travel down her front, watching as the blade of a sword protrudes from her stomach. The sword slices downwards, widening the wound. In shock she watches the blackening blood drip down the blade in rivulets. 

"Kagome! Your arrows!" Sango shouts from the demoness's back. 

Kagome quickly complies, letting loose a beam of bright white light through the air. It sinks into the hole made by the sword just as Sango jumps from her back. 

The forest bathes in white as the arrow releases its power, shattering Okanka's mangled to pieces scattered about the forest floor. 

Slowly, the cleansing light dims back to normal. 

InuYasha picks himself of the ground, brushing off some of the demon's blood staining his fire rat robe as he stands. 

"Let's go home." 

********************************************************************************************************* 

She lies perfectly still. 

Drops of blood roll from the corner of her mouth, her white eyes clear and dead. 

Perfectly, deathly still. 

Suddenly, her hand twitches. 

Her eyes open wide, awake and alive, and well aware of her pain. 

Cringing, she holds still as her body begins to reassemble in it's human-like form, piecing together slowly. Her bleeding stops and a crimson glow encompasses her, pasting the pieces back in place. 

A tornado-like wind spins near her, slowing down to a halt in seconds, throwing dirt and rock into the air. 

"Naraku...sama..." she gasps. 

"Okanka..." 

"Hai." 

One of Naraku's feet stamps down on her reforming arm, crushing it purely with force. "You didn't really suppose that I didn't know about your little plan to kill me, did you?" 

Her eyes widen. "You used me? You bastard!!!!!" 

"You couldn't even injure them, even with my kugutsu's help." He brings his foot down again, harder. 

Her eyes glare back at him, pained and angry. "Bastard..." 

"You have out lived your usefulness." 

The area floods with the darkness of Naraku's miasma, fading to a nearly pure darkness and consuming her whole. 

********************************************************************************************************* 

The girls walk back from the springs, in clean yukata. 

"So you can't remember anything?" Kagome asks. 

Sango shakes her head. "From the time I was bitten to after Houshi-sama was bitten, I can't remember much. And what I can see is hazy...But I remembered that youkai. I almost beat her once, when she was watching some where else." 

"So that's why Miroku distracted her while you got her with the sword..." Kagome thinks out loud, rubbing her towel through her hair once again. "You know, we really should find a cleaner way to fight these youkai. I had to wash my hair five times just to get all the blood out. I don't even want to think about my clothes." 

Sango chuckles. "Maybe Kaede has some herb that can help with that." 

They both laugh whole heartedly before growing quiet again. 

"Miroku didn't come to peek did he? I'm a bit surprised seeing as how he can still walk." 

"He has been rather well behaved lately." Kagome admits. "Maybe he's worried about you." 

Sango looks down at her feet, a light heat running up to her cheeks. 

"It's really a shame you can't remember. When he helped at the springs before, he was really polite. Even turned around and everything." 

The Taiji-ya sighs. "Maybe it's just as well, as soon as we're both fully healed, everything will go back to normal." 

"You're probably right." 

The forest opens up to the green grasses of the village, and Kaede's small hut. Their belongings set against the outer wall, waiting for them. 

On top of Hiraikotsu lies a single peach blossom. 

'Or maybe not.' 

********************************************************************************************************* 

Alright! Aside from the side story/epilogue, I'm done. I'm interested to hear what you think and any changes you think I should make. I plan to go back and fix this up quite a bit since I really didn't have much in the way of Beta help, so anything you'd suggest, aside from tenses (which is already planned) would be great. 

I have yet to really figure out what I'm going to do for the side story. Sad thing is that I have a title, but no plot. Maybe I'll get a chance to work on it over Thanksgiving break. I'll make that my goal. 

I hope you enjoyed this. I liked writing this...but I think I've enjoyed finishing it even more, considering this is really the first fic I've managed to finish. ^_^* 

Sango-sama   
11/11/2001   



End file.
